Portable anchored winch



June 8, 1965 G. c. ENSLEY PORTABLE ANCHORED WINCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 51. 1960 GLOVE? C. [IV-51f? June 8, 1965 G. c. ENSLEY PORTABLE ANCHORED WINCH 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 31. 1960 INVENTOR. GLOVE? C- [ll SEA) NAQ ATTOR/VKMS June 8, 1965 G. c. ENSLEY PORTABLE ANCHORED WINCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 51, 1960 W M I G R MM 0 L v.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,188,053 I PURTABLE ANHORED WINCH Glover (I. Ensley, 525 N. Woodland Drive,

Kansas City North, Mo. 1 Filed Oct. 30, 1961, Ser. No. 149,820

. 1 Claim- (Cl. 254-490) This invention relates to a portable winch, and more particularly to such apparatus which offers maximum choring whichyrendered the winch device unsuitable or dangerous in the performance of many jobs. In addition, portable winch devices heretofore have been provided with a guide pulley which is fixed in position with respect to the rest of the apparatus, limiting utility due to the dilficulty in providing proper rope or cable alignment with the load. For example, when pulling electric cables throughconduits, it is often necessary that the guide pulley be located in a position extending over the edge of a floor deck so as to exert pull in a direction parallel to a building wall or binding and consequent damage may result.

The principalobjects of the present" invention are: to provide a portable winch apparatus wlnch is small in size and light in weight for ease of ingress and egress to partialiy completed building structures; to provide such a device which includes a rope or cable guide arm having a groovedpulley which can be easily and quickly adjusted into multiple positions with respect to the pulling mechanism whereby maximum utility is provided in confined spaces; to provide a portable winch devicehaving laterally extending capstans rotating simultaneously at different 7 speeds whereby a choice of pulling speed may be obtained without complex clutching and gear shifting mechanisms; to provide. such apparatus having vacuum cup anchors which are adapted to be easily and quickly secured to the winch frame bed in a plurality of positions for obtaining the most efficient anchoring for the particular job at hand;

to provide such vacuum cup anchors which are adapted to provide a temporary but firm securing structure on nonporous surface such as concrete fioors without damage; to provide such winch apparatus which is also adapted to be otherwise secured in place in the event that a nonporous surface is not available; and to provide such apparatus which is simple in construction, reliable in use, and is easily mastered by non-skilled labor.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the, accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration andexample certain embodiments of this invention. s

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation. of the winch apparatus embodying this invention with a portion broken away to show details of the capstan driving members. 7

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the winch apparatus taken from the opposite side of that shown in FIG. 1 and showing'the rope guide arm in a different position therefrom.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the winch apparatus with variant positions of the cup anchors shown in phantom and 'the guide arm shown on the opposite side of the apparatus from that illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale showing the guide arm and mounting therefor.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of 7 tion 7 and a pair of corners 13 and 14 at the rear end por-. tion 8. Each of the corners 11', 12, 13 and 14 have aframe bed and the suction cup anchor.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view in side elevation illustrating the use of an auxiliary anchoring device.

Referring to the drawings in more detail:

The reference numeral 1 generally indicates a portable winch embodying this invention. The winch 1 comprises a pair of parallel, horizontally-disposed, channel iron end members 2 and 3 and parallel, horizontally-disposed, channel iron side members 4 and 5, forming a generally horizontally extending frame bed 6. The end members 2 and 3 respectively form a forward end portion 7 and a rear end portion 8 and the side members 4 and 5 respectively form oppositely disposed side portions 9 and 10,. The members 2, 3, 4 and 5 are arranged whereby the frame bed 6 is substantially rectangular in shape forming a pair of corners 11 and 12 at the forward end porpair of spaced fingers 15 and 16 projecting outwardly therefrom and defining an open-ended slot 17 therebetween. I v

v A wheel axle 18 is rotatably mounted on the frame bed 6 intermediate the forward end portion 7 and rear end portion 8 and has opposite ends 19 and 20 extending laterally outwardly of the respective side portions 9 and 10.:

Suitable wheels 21 and 22 are mounted on the respective wheel axle ends 19 and 20 and are adapted to maintain the frame bed 6 spaced above the ground during the movement of the winch apparatus from one place to another. A third wheel 23 is rotatably supported on one end of a swivel leg 24 which is mounted for swivel motion at the other end thereof intermediate the wheels 21 and 22 and between the wheel axle 18 and the forward end portion 7. The wheels 21, 22 and 23 provide a wheelsupporting structure for rendering the frame bed stable but easily movable when desired.

Motive apparatus, in the illustrated example an internal combustion engine 25, is secured to the upper surface 26 of the frame bed 6. The engine is provided with a handle 27 secured to a rope (not shown) for starting the engine. A suitable fuel tank 29 feeds fuel into the engine 25 in a conventional manner. The engine 25 has an output shaft 29' to which is secured a sprocket wheel 30. A chain 31 is engaged with the sprocket Wheel and also is engaged with a sprocket wheel 32 of substantially larger diameter than the sprocket wheel 30 to form a, speed reducing combination. A shaft 33 is rotatably mounted by means of spaced pillow block bearings 34 and 35 to the frame bed upper surface 26 and supports the sprocket wheel 32 fixed on one end. 36

7 thereof. The other end 37 of the shaft 33 supports a bed 6 by means'of spaced pillowblock bearings 43 and 44 and supports the sprocket wheel 41 fixed on one end 45 thereof. The other end 46 of the shaft 42 supportsa second capstan 47 fixed thereto and extending laterally outwardly of the side portion 10, FIG. 3. The sprocket wheels 39 and 41 form a speed reducing combination for driving the capstan 47 simultaneously with but at a much slower speed than the capstan 38.

For example, a desirable speed for the surface of the capstan 38 is 180 feet per minute while the surface of the capstan 47 is displaced feet per minute. Suitable guard covers 47' and 48' are provided for the abovedescribed sprocket wheels and chains.

The output shaft 29 of the engine 25 also supports a pulley 48 which is adapted to drive a belt 49 engaged with a pulley 56. The pulley 50 is fixed to the input shaft 51 of a vacuum pump 52 which is secured to the upper surface 26 of the frame bed 6 intermediate the shaft 33 and the engine 25. It is apparent that the operation of the engine 25 will simultaneously drive the vacuum pump 52 while rotating the capstans 38 and 47.

A first anchoring member 53 comprises a pair of laterally spaced suction cups 54 joined together with a cross beam 55. A threaded post 56 is secured at one end 57 to the central portion of the cross beam and extends upwardly therefrom. The post 56 is adapted to be inserted into any one of the open-ended slots 17 formed by the respective pairs of fingers 15 and 16 extending from the corners 11, 12, 13 and 14. A pair of oppositely disposed collar nuts 58 and 58' are threadedly engaged or connected with the threaded post 56 and are adapted to respectively engage the lower and upper surfaces of the fingers 15 and 16 at any desired position along the post 56. A second anchoring member 59 comprises a single suction cup 60 identical with the suction cups 54, but having a universal joint connector 61 threadedly engaged at 61 at the upper portion thereof. A threaded post 62 is connected at the lower end 63 to the universal joint connector 61 whereby various angular relations can be maintained between the post 62 and suction cup 61 while permitting a tension or compressive force to be applied therebetween. The threaded post 62 is also adapted for insertion into any one of the respective open-ended slots 17. Suitable oppositely disposed collar nuts 64 and 64 perform the same function on the threaded post 62 as the nuts 58 and 58' with re- 'spect to the threaded post 56.

The suction cups 54 and 60 have round shallow platelike bodies 65 reinforced with radial ribs 66 and terminating at the periphery 67 thereof in a downwardly extending annular lip portion 68 containing a downwardly opening annular groove 69. A closed cell, soft sponge rubber sealing ring 70 engages'in the groove 69 and normally extends downwardly of the lip portion 68 whereby the suction cup body 65 is maintained spaced above the surface 71 on which it is resting, for example, threeeighths of an inch. When resting on the surface 71, a chamber 72 is'forrned between the body 65 and the surface 71 which is adapted to be evacuated through a bore 73 having threads engaged with a hose coupler 74 operatively connected to a length of vacuum hose 75. The length of vacuum hose 75 communicates with the vacuum pump 52 through a suitable dirt-collecting filter 76. A vacuum hose section 77 interconnects the suction cups 54 whereby only a single hose is needed to communicate with the vacuum pump 52 for removing air from both suction cups 54. Upon evacuating the suction cups 54 and 60 to a high vacuum, the sealing rings 70 compress to the extent that the lip portions 68 come into contact with the surface 71. The flexibility of the sponge rubber sealing ring 70 will permit positive an choring even on relatively rough, dirty and uneven surfaces, the prime requisite being that the surface is relatively non-porous whereby air cannot enter the chambers 72 faster than the vacuum pump 52 can withdraw same. I

It has been determined that a single 14-inch diameter vacuum cup under a vacuum of approximately 25 inches of mercury will provide the equivalent anchoring effect of about 1500 pounds of dead weight.

A guide arm 78 has a sheave or grooved wheeel 79 rotatably mounted on the outer end 80 thereof and a sheave or grooved wheel 81 mounted on the inner end 82 thereof. The arm 78 has a substantially semi-cir- (5 cular plate 83 fixed to one side thereof and circumferentially spaced parallel studs or pins 84 projecting from the surface of plate 83 laterally of the arm 78. An axle receiving bore 35 extends through the plate 83 and arm 78 parallel to the pins 84 and positioned at their circumferential center.

An upstanding support or frame 86 is fixed to the frame bed 6 adjacent the forward end portion 7 thereof. An arm axle 87 is fixed to the upper portion of the frame 86 and has opposite ends 88 and 89 extending laterally outwardly of the bed 6 respectively past the side portions 9 and 10. The guide arm 78 is adapted to slide longitudinally of and rotate about the axle '87 from either end 88 or 89. The pins 84 are adapted to respectively engage in pin-receiving bores 91 respectively located on opposite sides of the upstanding frame 86 and spaced from the axle 87 a distance equal to the spacing between the pins 84 and the axle-receiving bore 85. By insertinga selected pin 84 in the bore 91, the arm 78 is selectively locked in a fixed position with respect to and in alignment with one of the capstans 38 or 47. (A suitable removable cottcrpin 92 is inserted through the axle 87 at 92 to prevent a disengagement of one of the pins 84 from the bore 91. It is to be noted that the arm 78 may be easily and quickly adjusted from a horizontal forwardly extending position such as shown in FIG. 1 to an upwardly extending position; for example, that shown in FIG. 2, or rearwardly extending positions (not shown), by discrete steps which are determined by the spacing of the pins 84.

An upstanding frame 93 is fixed to the frame bed 6 at the rear end portion 8 thereof and supports a reel 94 for conveniently storing and carrying a length of cable or rope 95. A handlebar 96 is provided on the upper portion of the frame 93 for pushing or pulling the portable winch to and from the job location.

In operation, the portable winch 1 is wheeled to the job location. The arm 78 is placed on the side of the machine corresponding with the fast capstan 33 or slow capstan 47 according to the speed of pull desired. The arm 78 is then rotated about the axle 87 to a position providing the best alignment for the particular pulling operation. For example, if the pull is to be vertically upwardly over the edge of a floor deck, the arm 78 is positioned as indicated in FIG. 1 with the rope 95 threaded over the grooved wheels 81 and 79. If the pull is vertically downwardly, it may be desirable for the rope 95 to be threaded only over the grooved wheel 79, as shown by the broken lines in FIG. 1. The solid and broken lines in FIG. 2 indicate by way of example an additional position of the arm 78 and two additional threading paths for the rope 95. The examples of FIG. 2 are desirable for pulling a load longitudinally of the winch 1, It is noted that a great variety of arm positions and threading paths are available for unusual situations.

After it is determined which corner of the winch 1 will experience the greatest upward pull or force due to the winch operation, the anchoring member 53, the member having the double cups 54, is secured in the slot 17 corresponding therewith. The anchoring member 59 is then secured in the slot 17 opposite to but on the same side of the winch as the anchoring member 53. The respective collar nuts 58, 58', 64 and 64' are adjusted along the respective threaded posts 56 and 62 whereby the wheel 21 or 22, depending upon the side involved, is slightly lifted from the ground so as not to add to the load on the suction cups 54 and 60. The universal joint connector 61 helps prevent lateral strains on the anchoring member 59.

The engine 25 is then started which results in drawing a vacuum from the suction cups 54 and 60 whereby said cups become firmly anchored to the supporting surface 71. The engine 25 simultaneously rotates the capstans 38 and 47. The rope 95 is then wrapped, for example three revolutions, around the selected capstan, and by pulling thereon, as indicated by the hand 95' in FIG. 2, a friction force is created between the rope 95 and the selected capstan which results in a pulling tension on the rope section guided by the arm 78. Upon completion of the pull, air is bled into the suction cups 54 and 60 by suitable valve means (not shown) for quickly and easily releasing the suction cups from the surface 71 without producing any residual effects upon either. In the event that motive power is lost, for example, due to a malfunction of the engine 25, several minutes are provided during which the load may be safely rested before sufficient air enters the chambers 72 to destroy the anchoring effect.

When it becomes necessary to use the winch apparatus on a porous surface such as earth 97, the anchoring members 53 and 59 are not effective. In order to obtain anchoring under these conditions, loops 99 are provided adjacent each of the corners 11, 12, 13 and 14. A suitable screw anchor 100 may then be inserted into the earth 97 a suflicient distance to provide the desired anchoring effect and the anchor 100 secured to the respective loop 99 with a length of cable 101 or the like. It is noted that other tie-down devices may also be used with the loops 99 if desired.

It is to be understood that while I have illustrated and described certain forms of my invention, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claim.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Cable pulling apparatus comprising, a mobile frame bed, a capstan rotatably mounted on said bed, an upstanding frame on said bed, an axle mounted on said upstanding frame and extending therefrom with the axis thereof spaced from and parallel to the capstan axis of rotation, said upstanding frame having a face in a plane normal to the axle axis, an elongate guide arm, having an outer end and an inner end, a grooved wheel rotatably mounted adjacent each end of said guide arm with the axes thereof parallel and the grooves of both in coplanar relation-ship, said arm having an axle bore adjacent said inner end and extending therethrough parallel to the wheel axes and slidingly and rotatably receiving said axle and mounting the arm thereon, said arm having an enlarged portion at said inner end, a plurality of locking pins projecting from one of said enlarged arm portions and the upstanding frame and a lock bore in the other all equally radially spaced from said axle axis with said pins being selectively registrable with and movable into the bore at selected rotational positions of said arm in response to turning of the arm and sliding same toward said upstanding frame to a position in which the wheel groove plane extends transversely through the capstan, the engagement of said locking pins and bore retaining said arm in the selected position, means removably engaged with said axle and said arm to retain the arm against axial movement and disengagement of the selected locking pin and bore, motive means on said bed operatively connected with said capstan to rotate same, and a cable pulling line adapted to be connected to a cable to be pulled and extending therefrom partially around the wheel at said arm outer end and then over the other wheel to the capstan whereby wrapping said line and tightening same on said capstan while said capstan is rotating exerts a pull on said line, the direction of the line from said arm being substantially in the plane of the wheel grooves and determined by the position and engagement of the line with the grooved wheel at the outer end of said guide arm.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 307,986 11/84 Porritt 254-139 1,302,051 4/19 Jackson 254-184 1,317,662 9/19 Foster 254-190 1,657,674 1/28 Holmes 254-139.1 1,755,798 4/30 Stockfleth 254-139 1,782,703 11/30 Wilson 254-166 1,803,400 5/31 Moore 254--166 2,493,687 1/50 Mott 254-195 2,655,653 10/53 Chauvin 254-l34.3 2,673,753 3/54 Scott 254-166 2,883,068 4/59 McIntyre 212- 3,072,382 1/63 Jones 254- SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. JOSEPH P. STRIZAK, Examiner. 

